Ps. 99.6

Moses and Aaron / were among his priests
Samuel also / was among those / who called on his name
they were ones / who would call on Yhwh
and he would answer them. 

In the previous reflection we drew attention to the ‘opening of Yhwh’ and how Israel is permitted, in covenant, to dialogue with Yhwh. There, it was the ability to ‘exalt’ him; to, so to speak, enter into the heavenly exaltation and participate in it. That ‘opening’ is, in these verse, made manifest as the psalmist draws attention to three men in particular who exhibited this dynamic, these ‘priests of Yhwh’: Moses, Aaron and Samuel. These men, and their ‘call-and-answer’ with Yhwh, is the most sustained portion of the psalm. It would seem as if it has been leading up to this point—from Zion, the Temple, to Jacob (Israel), and now to these individuals. And what is in focus is the fact that they open Yhwh to the people; Yhwh ‘answers them’. This has, on some level, already occurred when Yhwh ‘establishes justice in Jacob’. However, here, Yhwh is more deeply revealed. Here, in contrast to the unilateral ‘establishing of justice’, Yhwh becomes responsive. It is deeply significant. He allows himself to be called upon and he, in response, opens himself up to his people through his priests. Now, through his priests, the one who is ‘exalted over all the peoples’ deigns to respond to their “call”. It is, I believe, the wonder at this that is why the psalmist focuses so intently on it. On some level, the one before whom the entire earth trembles, places himself at his people’s disposal; this is, arguably, one of the things it means to ‘hand over’ a name—it means allowing that person to exhibit some form of control over the individual. As we will see, Yhwh, in permitting them to possess his name, remains their Lord. But, that said, it is still the fact that he has become responsive to them, through his designated priests, that engenders such awe.